March 7, 2010

Assisted suicide is also legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, as well as in the American states of Oregon, Washington, and Montana. But in all those places, the practice is restricted to people with incurable diseases, involves extensive medical testing and consultation with physicians, and requires that applicants be permanent residents. By contrast, Switzerland’s penal code was designed such that, without fear of prosecution, you can hand someone a loaded pistol and watch as he blows his brains out in your living room. And there is no residency requirement. There are only two conditions: that you have no self-interest in the victim’s death, and that he be of sound mind when he pulls the trigger.

"And there is no residency requirement". Though, presumably they will not ever leave the country on their own.

"There are only two conditions: that you have no self-interest in the victim’s death, and that he be of sound mind when he pulls the trigger". Isn't someone who is healthy, by definition--not of sound mind if they want to off themselves?

A dear friend who retired to central Florida with his partner shot himself in the head with a handgun. His partner didn't even know he had the gun.

There are a million ways that a motivated person can kill themselves, particularly if they're ambulatory and don't look crazy. Why should the person be so hung up about whether the government sanctions it?

(Morphine is lovely stuff. I hope the blue-noses in the feral gumment don't further restrict its use for relieving the misery of terminally ill patients who are waiting for nature to take its course.)

The Swiss are the neutral bystanders. They have no interest in refugee people hiding out, EXCEPT the dead or disappered ones leave stuff behind in Swiss Banks. So that itself makes any care for their survival against public policy. The King/Government Ministries is the owner of all or a large part of the estates of such persons. I bet they also offer free ammunition, very neutrally.